[Business Insider] The 75th Ranger Regiment, Green Berets and other US special operations ground forces will be equipped with the conventional Army's Next Generation Squad Weapons."We are an enthusiastic supporter of the Army's 6.8 mm Next Generation Squad Weapons," Col. Joel Babbitt, of Program Executive Officer Special Operations Forces Warrior, told Military.com recently. "We expect there will be Next Generation Squad Weapons in our formations as soon as we can receive them via fielding."
The Army is in the final phase of evaluating NGSW prototypes from General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., Textron Systems and Sig Sauer Inc. to replace the 5.56 mm M4A1 carbine and the M249 squad automatic weapon in infantry and other close-combat units.
If all goes as planned, Army modernization officials will select the final design for the rifle and automatic rifle variants from a single firm in the first quarter of 2022 and begin fielding them a year later.
PEO SOF Warrior is working with the Army to become part of the NGSW fielding plan at some point over the five-year, future-year defense plan, Babbitt said.
US Special Operations Command hasn't always been as supportive of conventional Army weapons programs, such as the failed XM25 Counter-Defilade Target Engagement System, which was known as the Punisher.